This time of year is always special in the winery, flooded with smells and colors that reveal what is happening: the reds harvest. The grapes continue to arrive at the sorting table and the entire process continues below, with the mechanical punch down, the pumping over, the draining and pressing. The aromas make the atmosphere inspiring and passionate. It is swiftly operating the punch down machine that we find Clarice Gomes, another smile that joined the Kranemann Wine Estates team for the 2023 harvest.
Clarice is pure kindness. "The name is Portuguese because my grandparents are from Madeira; they moved to South Africa a long time ago”, she explains. “And now, as an adventure, I moved to Portugal, to explore opportunities on the vibrant food scene”. Her background is Food Science and she has a passion for Eating Design.
Products, processes, and fermentations... it became evident for Clarice that a harvest would be “the ideal internship to gather more experience and wine knowledge”, and also to delve into this endless and exciting connection between food and wine. “And through a wine industry contact I had this opportunity to join the harvest at Quinta do Convento de São Pedro das Águias”.
In the Douro, the days start early for those who work the land and the vineyards. Often with a vegetable and beans soup, “the kind that holds the spoon upright”, as described by Carlos Alberto, the leader of the team who coordinates all the work on the farm. “It’s true, Portuguese gastronomy is incredible, so diverse for such a small country. Flavorful, but also so heavy here in the North”, says Clarice, with another smile.
“Being here has been an authentic and very humbling experience. And the team has shown me warmth and the value of hard work. After the harvest I head to Lisbon. And the adventure continues”.
Thank you for your help and your smile, Clarice.
And good luck for your future, you are always welcome back!
